LA Clippers lose to the Portland Trailblazers as the season is coming to an end (4/10)
The LA Clippers lost another game this time to the playoff bound Portland Trailblazers at the Staples Center 93-85. The Blazers controlled the game from the start and the home team got close but never did catch up. LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy led the visitors to victory. The Clippers had a balanced attack and ex-Blazer Steve Blake made a key contribution but it wasn’t enough. Marcus Camby said he was very happy on his new winning team after being traded for Blake and Travis Outlaw (out with an injury). Camby had to leave the game with a groin injury but Portland was too tough in the end. This has been a dismal season for the Clippers as it started bad losing #1 draft pick Blake Griffin for the season. Having him healthy with the team they have now will be another good-looking team on paper.
Portland Coach Nate McMillan liked the way his team has played lately including tonight as the team moved into a tie with the Thunder and Spurs but hold the tiebreak advantage so they are currently now in 6th place in the Western Conference. McMillan will definitely get some coach of the year votes (along with Scotty Brooks from Oklahoma City) for keeping his team in the hunt despite the most injuries in the NBA this year. They lost both centers for the year (Oden and Przybilla), Outlaw never got in a game for them this year, Nicolas Batum missed the start of the season, Rudy Fernandez was out with a back injury and team leader Roy missed around 15 games earlier this season. Despite that, the Blazers are 48-30 with 4 games remaining while their biggest acquisition from last year has been point guard Andre Miller, who is very intelligent and a fabulous player.
The Clippers have good players and depth at each position if everyone is healthy so hopefully the 2010-2111 season will provide bigger things. If they keep many of the players they have now, the team will shape up with Barron Davis, Eric Gordon, Steve Blake at guards, Rasual Butler, Travis Outlaw, Blake Griffin and Drew Gooden at forwards and Chris Kaman at center at their top players. For more information, tickets and updates, please visit www.nba.com/clippers